Filched-Drug Database Arms Hospitals to Fight Opioid Abuse

Ten years ago Lauren Lollini checked into a Denver hospital for a routine procedure and walked out with hepatitis C, the victim of a drug swiping scheme run by a hospital employee.

A surgical tech who had hepatitis C was taking syringes of the extremely potent opioid painkiller fentanyl for her personal use, and filling them up with saline when she was done, Lollini, a patient safety advocate and psychotherapist, said. “Instead of getting the fentanyl I needed, I got the saline mixed with her blood,” Lollini said.

A national database launched May 1 aims to prevent cases like Lollini’s ...